In a semiconductor light-emitting device such as a light-emitting diode (hereinafter abbreviated as “LED” when appropriate) and semiconductor laser, a semiconductor luminous element is generally sealed by a member (semiconductor light-emitting device member) made of transparent resin or the like.
Epoxy resin, for example, is used as the semiconductor light-emitting device member. It is also known that a luminous wavelength of the light emitted from the semiconductor luminous element is converted by making the sealing resin contain a pigment such as a phosphor.
However, due to high hygroscopicity of epoxy resin, there have been problems of cracks caused by heat from the semiconductor luminous element when the semiconductor light-emitting device is used for a long time and degradation of the phosphor and luminous element caused by moisture infiltration.
Also in recent years, as the luminous wavelength is shortened, there has been a problem of dramatic decrease in brightness of the semiconductor light-emitting device because epoxy resin degrades and colors when the device is turned on for a long time or used at a high output level.
In view of these problems, silicone resin, which is superior in heat resistance and ultraviolet ray resistance, has been used as a substitute for epoxy resin. However, silicone resin tends to be scratched because it is soft, and does not yet have sufficient adhesion, transparency, and light resistance. Meanwhile, inorganic sealants and semiconductor light-emitting devices using such sealants have been proposed as materials that excel in heat resistance and ultraviolet ray resistance (Refer, for example, to Patent Documents 1 to 5).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3275308    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-197976    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-231947    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-33517    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-203989